Portable fireplace heater



Dec. l2, 1939. R. A. LATHROP PORTABLE FIREPLACEy HEATER Filed Oct. 8, 1937 Patented Dec. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE FIREPLACE HEATER,

y Richard A. Lathrop, Hope, N. Dak. Application October 8, 1937, Serial No. 168,062

3 Claims. (Cl. 1261-121) v This invention'consists of a portable fireplace heater an object of which is to provide a compact unit, made of metal or other suitable material, which may be installed in an open ilreplace or in any other part of a room in the same manner as a heating stove. v

Among the o-bjects accomplished by the present invention is the provision of fresh air lcirculation, without use of mechanical power, by inv duction of the outside air through the combustion zone of the heater rand ejecting the heated fresh air into the room in a manner to resist incoming cold air through the doors and windows; the provision of a dea-d air space between the 1li-heater and wall or partition of the room or house; the provision of a heater capable of. burning any kind of fuel; the provision of a heating unit susceptible of enlargement or diminution as well as the extension of the heating area to an additional room or rooms; and the provisionof a knockdown replace or heater which may be quickly assembled and disassembled and conveniently transported.

Other objects of the invention will be yapparent 25. from the following description of the present preferred form of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of a heater constructed in accordance with the present invention illustrating its application,

and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional viewy of the same.

In the drawing in order to illustrate the application of my invention, a portion of a building 5 is illustrated including a door 3, wall 4 and ceiling or roof 5. The heaterof the present invention consists of a unit, generally designated 6, preferably made of metal and of any desired shape or size. In illustrating the application of my invention, the unit is shown to be of rectangular configuration embodying a base or bottom wall I with upstanding ends 8,` rear wall 9 and front wall I0. The top of the unit is closed, as indicated at II, except for an opening in which a stack I2 is mounted, the latter being used for carrying off the products of combustion in a manner more fully hereinafter set. forth. Preferably the base 'I of the unit is spaced from the floor 3 by brick, tileor the like I3, so as to insulate the bottom of the unit from the floor.

The bottom of the unit comprises a fuel compartment I4 which may be equipped with oil, gas, electricity or like fuel medium., or if desired, wood or coal may be used. Immediately above the fuel chamber is a combustion vzone I5 through which the products of combustion pass before exhausting into the stack I2.

It is of the essence of importance in the present invention to induce outside air into'a conduit forming a part of the unit, the conduit ex- 6!! tending upwardly through the fuel chamber and combustion zone in order that the outside heated air may be projected into the room to be heated. To accomplish this result, Iy provide an air inlet pipe I6 which in the 'present instance is shown 102? to extend below the floor 3 and leads to the outside, the atmosphere being carried therethrough into an air jacket I'I which forms the back of v the fuel compartment I4, the air jacket extending'over the top of the fuel compartment and 15??? terminating just short of the front wall I 0 of' the unit. The air jacket is in communication with a plurality of superposed communicating air chambers I8 which preferably extend the full length of the unit and alternately extend for- 20' wardly and rearwardly in the unit in contiguity with the adjacent walls of the latter whereby the products of combustion are compelled to travel inl a tortuous path around the air chamber preparatory to entering the stack I2. The 25` air chambers I8 are interchangeable and may be increased or diminished at the option of the user, the number of chambers used being usually dependent upon the space available for the unit and the size of the room o-r rooms to be heated. 30

Upon reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing it will be noted that the air jacket I'I is spaced from the wall l and since the jacket extends over the complete inner or rear wall of the fuel compartment, the wall isy protected from the heat. Im- 35 mediately above the air jacket I'I is a dead `air space I9 which is provided so as to separate the stack I2 from the wall 4 between the combustion zone of the unit and the roof or ceiling 5. The air in the dead air space I9 may be ex- 40 hausted through suitable openings 20.

In addition to the induction of outside air through the unit, I also make provision for the inlet of inside air through openings 2| formed in the opposite end walls of the unit adjacent 45 the base 1. The inside air passes upwardly through the fuel compartment I4, combustion zone I5 and into the stack I2. In addition the front wall of the unit is provided with an opening through which the fuel compartment is accessible. This opening may be covered in whole or in part by any suitable type of closure, one form of closure being indicated in the drawing at 22. Thus provision is made foran open front 55 fireplace or a closed front heater of fireplace design.

In the top of the unit just above the upper air chamber I provide a humidifying compartment 23 which may be equipped with a Water pan 24 or the like to augment the room humidity while the unit is in operation.

If desired the combustion gases from zone I5 may be by-passed from in back of the heater proper into another room parallel to the room in which the unit is: mounted in the same manner as the smoke pipe 25 extends from the stack l2. When this is done the stack l2 is placed onv the opposite side of the wall 4, to provide addi'- tional heat for said parallel rooxnl.vr Also', ifi de` sired, the stack I2 may be continued upwardly, as indicated at 26, into an upstairs room, preparatory to exhausting tlircughv a chimney in the roof of the building.

The fresh heated air travelling upwardly through the pipe i6; jacket H- and air chambers I8, is ejected into the room through outlets 2l formed in the closedI top t! of the unit. To augment passage of the ejected fresh air to parts of the room remote from the unit, at the same time preventing the ejected air from entering the foul air openings 2|, a differential in the sizeof said latter' openings and the pipe l-G iseffected. Preferably this is accomplished by making the combined areas of the openings 2l lessy than the opening in the pipe i6, thev variance in size being approximately ten to fteen degrees. This also tends to repulse incoming cold air through doors and Windows of the room.

Itis, of course, understood that the device of my invention is` not only portable, but maybe varied in size to be accommodated in any desired space. However, the principle of operation under all conditions remains the same since the unit will not contact the iloor or Walls of the room in which it is mounted not only providing an inside air circulating space around the unit, but likewise protecting the wall and floor from the heat of the unit. In addition the outside air is carried directly through theY re zone and then ejected into the room While the inside air nds its way into the fuel chamber where it mingles with the combustion gases and is carried upwardly through the stack.

While I have herein described a preferred form of my invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that various changes may be made therein, especially in the details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What is claimedY is:

1. A portable fireplace heater including a heating unit embodying a fuel chamber and combustion zone with a stack issuing from the latter, an outside air conduit extending into the fuel chamber andl completely covering the rear wall of the latter, said conduit extending through the unit combustion chamber and exhausting at a point above. thelatter, and inside air conduits arranged on the sides of the fuel chamber and opening into the combustion chamber and stack, the combined areas of the inside air conduits being less than the area of the outside air conduit to augment passageof ejected fresh air and minimize possibility of air passage into said inside air conduits.

2. A` portable fireplace heater including an inclosed heating body, an air conduit leading from a point remote from said body into the latter and opening through the top wall of the body, said body being provided with foul air inlet openingsl adjacent its base leading into the combustion zone of the heating body, the combined area of said foul air openings being less than the area of the opening in the air conduit.

3. A fireplace heater including an enclosed heating body, an air conduit leading from a point remote from said heating body and extending through the latter in the path of the heating gases of said body, the conduit being closed throughout and opening through the top of the heating body, said body being provided with foul air inlet openings, adjacent its base, leading into the combustion zone of the heating body, the combined area of said openings being less than the area of the air conduit opening.

RICHARD A. LATHROP. 

